Vice President Kamala Harris' Inauguration Day outfit packed not only a sartorial punch, but made a strong statement about how she will honor herself, her community and the country through her outfit choices during her time in office.
Harris, the first Vice President to be female, Black and of South Asian descent, chose to wear an outfit by a Black American designer for her swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol. Her double-breasted royal purple coat worn over a matching dress was created by Brooklyn-based designer Christopher John Rogers.
The Baton Rouge-born Rogers, who has dressed everyone from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Beyoncé, won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award in 2019 and has become a favorite in the fashion community.
Harris styled her look with a David Yurman lapel pin featuring the American flag, Manolo Blahnik heels, leather gloves, a black face mask and a custom pearl necklace by Puerto Rican designer Wilfredo Rosado, according to Women's Wear Daily. Pearls have become a campaign signature for the Vice President, a nod to her Howard University sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha.
In a nod to Harris' signature accessory and groundbreaking achievement, thousands of Americans across the country are wearing pearls to celebrate her on this historic day.
The meaning behind the color purple holds a specific meaning to Harris. CNN's Abby Phillip pointed out during Inauguration Day coverage Wednesday that Harris used purple and yellow as colors to launch her presidential campaign — a nod to Shirley Chisholm, who became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm would later run for president in 1972. Phillip noted that Chisholm's boundary-breaking trajectory in politics "inspired" Harris' career.
The incoming First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, also selected her ensemble carefully. Her custom "ocean blue" coat and matching dress set made in wool tweed with a matching silk face mask was created by the female-founded American brand Markarian. The color blue "was chosen for the pieces to signify trust, confidence, and stability," the label said in a press statement. She finished the look with nude Jimmy Choo pumps.
Designer Alexandra O'Neill founded the New York City-based luxury womenswear label in 2017; her clothes have been worn by celebrities including Demi Lovato and Kerry Washington. According to the brand's statement, "The look was carefully crafted by a small team in the heart of New York City's Garment Center and hand finished by O'Neill in her West Village studio."
Both the incoming Vice President and First Lady have used their clothes to convey messages (remember Biden's "Vote" boots?) and to telegraph their support for American designers.
On Inauguration Eve, Harris honored another Black designer, selecting a camel Pyer Moss coat designed by the brand's American-Haitian founder Kerby Jean-Raymond, for a speaking engagement at Covid Memorial mourning the 400,000 lives lost.
Dr. Biden wore a purple dress and coat from American designer Jonathan Cohen's fall/winter 2021 collection and matching mask from the designer's studio collection. Cohen is the son of two Mexican immigrants, who immigrated to San Diego to carve out a better life for their family.
In addition to purple's special meaning for Harris, the color has often been worn by women in the political sphere as a sign of "unity" — of Republican red and Democratic blue coming together. For her presidential race concession speech in 2016, Hillary Clinton chose a Ralph Lauren Collection suit with royal purple accents as a way to represent both parties coming together.
The former Secretary of State wore purple again to the 2021 Inauguration, once again selecting a Ralph Lauren Collection suit, as she shared a strong sentiment about the significance of welcoming Harris to the Vice Presidency.
"It delights me to think that what feels historical and amazing to us today—a woman sworn in to the vice presidency—will seem normal, obvious, 'of course' to Kamala's grand-nieces as they grow up. And they will be right," she shared on Instagram hours before Vice President Harris was sworn in on Wednesday.
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